Conveyer apparatus



Aug' 4 5 9 I O. A. SEYFERTH CONVEYBR APPARATUS 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 12 Aug. 5 1924:

o`. SEYFERTH CONVEYER APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 12 along the conveyer.

Patentecl Aug. 5, 1924.

UNlTED STATES OTTO A. SEYFERTH, OF FAIRMONT, WEST VIRG-INIA.

CONVEYEB APPARATUS.

Application filed April 12, 1923.

To all wham it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO A. SEYFERTH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Fairmont, in the county of Marion and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyer Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to conveying machinery and especially to that type of conveying machinery wherein an endless cham or rope provided at intervals with flights is used to drag or retard material along a trough.

More particularly the invention relates to a driving wheel or sprocket for conveyers of this description.

In the conveying of such heavy and coarse lump materials as coal and certain ores, it is common to erect a trough between the two points from which it is desired to convey or retard the material. At each end of this trough there is provided a Wheel, and around these wheels is led an endless wire rope having what are commonly termed buttons, clamped thereon at intervals intended to be regularly spaced.

' One of the wheels in such a clevice constitutes the driving wheel which is commonly termed the bull Wheel, and receives its power from suitable driving mechansm such as an engine, motor or the like. In such an arrangement, the bull wheel is formed with pockets to receive the buttons and thus constitutes, in principle, a sprocket Wheel, the wire rope and buttons constituting the sprocket chain.

Under the conditions obtaining with this 'construction of conveyer, it is evident that there will not only be difficulty in evenly spacing the buttons on the rope, but there will be difficulty in maintaining the positions of the buttons because of the heavy stresses incident to moving the coal or ore Consequently variations in position 'of the buttons will take place regardless of the care 'with which they may be originally positioned on the rope. Since the space between two adjacent but tons is equivalent to the pitch of a sprocket chain, it is evident that variations in this spacing,' no matter how they occur, are equivalent to variations in pitch of the chain surrounding the bull Wheel and because of this a bull Wheel with a fixed or invariable pitch is ineffective at certain times or in Serial No, 631,723.

certain relative rope.

One important Object of the present invention is to provide a novel form of bull Wheel which will automatically adjust itself to variations in the spacing or pitch of the buttons.

Again, a conveyer system of this type, while the best under certain conditions which can be employed, is subject to sudden and violent changes in the stresses on the parts, such changes being brought about by corresponding variations in the resistance positions of the Wheel and exerted by the load, and by climatic condi- 7 tions. Consequently, with a bull wheel havin a fixed pitch and driven uniformly, sudden increases in the tensile stresses eXerted on the rope take place which not only stress the rope unduly, but tend to cause slipping of the buttons along the rope.

A second important Object of the invention is to provide an improved and novel construction of bull wheel wherein these sudden eXcessive stresses and shocks will be prevented, or so lessened as to eliminate abnormal strains in or breakage of the parts of the device, and to decreaseor eliminate slipping of the buttons on the rope.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel cletails of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated' in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indioate like parts in the several Views, and:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a driving or bull Wheel constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge or face view of such a Wheel, the view being taken from the left hand side of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diametrical section through the wheel on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line F ig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an outline diagram of a conveyer system in which the invention may be used.

In the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, the Wheel consists of two symmetrical side members each of which comprises a hub 10 from which radiate flat plate spokes 11 well reinforced by ribs 12. On the outer ends of the spokes are the rims 13 llO provided with suitable gear teeth 14 so that they may be driven by two driving pinions P on the counter shat't of a suitable engine or motor E furnishing the motive power for the mechanism. Centrally of the outer end of each spoke, there is provided an outwardly bulged portion 15 'formng one halt' ot' a pocket 16 for the reception of the buttons B on the rope R. On the inner face of each spoke, there is provided a rectangular boss 17, and these bosses are oi" such height that their end faces bear against each other to hold the two sides of the Wheel in properly spaced relation when assembled, the sides being held together by bolts 18 and nuts 19. Thus the spoles 11 are spaced and are substantially parallel, .djacent the hub, pivot bolts 20 extend between the spokes 11 and on these pivot bolts are swingingly mounted the driving segments which engage the buttons B to drive the rope R. Each of these segments comprises a hub portion 21 which is pivoted on the respective bolt 20, and 'from which radiates a pair of arms or' spokes 29 carrying a rim segment 23 provided with a rope receiving groove 24. On the outer edge of each rim segment is a spring seat 25 located opposite a respective pair of the lugs 17, which are similarly provided on the sides confronting the spring seats 25 with spring seats 26, coiled compression Springs 27 which serve to hold the segments centrally between the lugslT in such manner that the segments may yield to a certain extent when pulling stress is eXerted on the rope R. Adjacentl each end of'each segment., stub shatts 28 are mounted in the spokes 11, these stub shafts being'provided' with heads 29 on their inner ends to hold wheels 30 which engage the ends of the buttons B as they rest in the pockets 16, and thus constitute rotatable button stops.

With this construction the rope engaging segments take the first stresses on the rope, and -allow the buttons to come gradually against the guide wheels'30, thus avoiding sudden shocks and undue stresses on the working parts. Moreover, any variation in the spacing or pitch of the buttons will be accommodated by the shifting of the segments in one direction or the other against the action of the Springs 27.

It will be observed that the segments have a less radius than the radius of the wheel itself so that no abrupt bends are made in the cable at the points where the cable engages with' and disengages from the segment.

There has thu's been provided a simple and efficient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It' is Obvious that minor changes may be made in theform'and construction of the invention without departing from the materialnspirit thereof; V It is not, therefore,

of wheels and rope engaging elements yield-` ably and pivotally mounted between' ,S'llCl wheels in peripherally spaced relation on said Wheel body.

52'. In a sprocket wheel for button pro'- vided eonveyer ropes, a Wheel body comprising separable wheels each being provided with spacechand alined peripheral button receiving cavities, the alined cavities 'orming peripheral .pockets and yieldably mounted rope engaging elements between said poc'kets. i

3-3. In a sprocket wheel for button provided conveyer ropes, awheel body provided with spaccd peripheral button receiving pockets, rope engaging segments pivoted to said body between said pocketstor swinging movement between the, poclets and spring means normally holding the segments centrally between said pockets;

s In a sproclet Wheel-for button provided conveyer ropes,` a' Wheel body comprising spaced sides and having: spaced peripheral button receiving pocket-s, and yieldably supported rope engagingelements pivoted between said' spaced'sides and alternating 'with said pookets. i

5. In a sprocket wheel for button provided conveycr ropesj a Wheel body comprising spaced sides and. having spaced 1. ripheral button receiving poclets, rope engaging segments pivotedbetween said sides and arranged alternately with said pockets, and spring means for holding said seginents normally central between i the pockets.

6. In a sprocket wheel for button provided conveyer ropes, a'wlieel body provided with spaced peripheral button receiving pockets, rope engaging segments pivoted to said body between said pockets'for swinging movement between the pockets, spring means normall-y holding the segments centrally between said pockets', and' rotatable button stops at opposite ends of each pocket.

7. In a sprocket wheel for button provided' conveyer'ropes, a wheel body comprising spaced sides and having spaced periph'eral' button receiving' pockets, rope engaging segments pivoted between said sides 'and arranged r alternately with said pockets, spring' means for holding* said segments normally-central between the pockets, and: rotatable button stops at opposite ends ofeach pocket. v

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature; .4

v \0. A. ,SEYFERTH.

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